Kallas's plan optional says Tajani

(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 20 - Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday that EU High Representative Kaja Kallas' proposal to send Ukraine multi-billion euro military support in 2025 is optional compared to the strategy promoted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
    "I think it will be an optional, accessory plan", said Tajani, compared to von der Leyen's strategy.
    "We will be looking at that, it seems to me that we need" a comprehensive "strategy, not initiatives".
    He also said "we must also look at the southern flank, not just at the eastern one", speaking on the sidelines of a summit of the European People's Party (EPP), of which the Forza Italia (FI) party he leads is a member, when asked about Kallas's plan.
    The EU foreign policy chief is pushing EU member states to meet a Ukrainian request for five billion euros having remodulated a more ambitious proposal including air defences and missiles.
    (ANSA).